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8/20/18

A German journalist and translator who is on trial in Turkey on
terror-related charges said Monday that Turkish authorities had lifted
her overseas travel ban.

"The reports about the lifting of my exit ban are correct," Mesale Tolu wrote on Twitter.
"I would like to thank my supporters and all those who sympathised with me and stood by my side to win my freedom."

An
Istanbul court in December had conditionally released Tolu, 34, who was
held for over half a year on charges of membership of the
Marxist-Leninist Communist Party (MLKP), which is banned in Turkey as a
terror organisation.

Under that ruling, she had to report to the authorities every week and could not leave Turkey.

With the latest verdict, she will be allowed to leave the country.

However
Tolu wrote on Twitter that the next hearing in her trial is scheduled
for October 16. If convicted, she faces up to 15 years in prison.

In
February, an Istanbul court ordered the conditional release of
German-Turkish journalist Deniz Yucel after receiving an indictment from
prosecutors seeking a prison sentence of up to 18 years.

The latest court ruling on Tolu comes amid a thaw in Turkish-German relations after months of sharp tensions.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said he was relieved by the "good
news" that Tolu would be allowed to travel and called it "a step forward
in improving our relationship with Turkey".

But he added in a
statement that more steps must follow and said that "we continue to view
critically many rule-of-law issues in Turkey and are addressing these
openly with our Turkish counterparts".